Ballerina wrote:Supposedly this kid inherited nearly a million dollars from his late adoptive mother. I'm sure the courts will force him to use that money for a legal defense (should he not plead out) instead of asking for a court appointed attorney.

He admitted to killing all those people. He's spending life in prison or getting the death penalty. What's he going to use that money for - commissary? Which will likely get stolen from him since the other inmates won't be so keen on a child killer. If he's dumb enough to turn down the plea and go to trial, he should use that money to pay a defense attorney to keep him off death row, which I doubt will happen. I'm fine if he pleads guilty and gets life in prison without possibility of parole for 30 years or so. I want him to sit in prison and think about how he killed classmates, with the vague hope that maybe he'll get out of prison someday if he can change.

As for financing, these kids are pretty well organized themselves. They're getting funding from celebrities. We complain and complain about "KIDS TODAY" and then we see them actually doing things and are immediately suspicious of who is REALLY behind their actions. What they're doing is admirable.

starrydreamer wrote:As for financing, these kids are pretty well organized themselves. They're getting funding from celebrities. We complain and complain about "KIDS TODAY" and then we see them actually doing things and are immediately suspicious of who is REALLY behind their actions. What they're doing is admirable.

I was thinking that it sort of reminded me of Union Rebel Rousers that come in from out of the area and get folks organized to protest.

And, I'm assuming that Clooney and Oprah's money will go towards paying the overtime for police that are required for crowd control?

The students very clearly want to protest. If someone is giving them the resources and support to make it a big one, then kudos to them.

Not sure what your point is with the police overtime comment, though. Ensuring safe and peaceful protest is pretty high up there on the list of things on police job descriptions. They'll get paid for doing their job.

Not a wholesome trottin' race, no, but a race where they sit down right on the horse! Like to see some stuck-up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch? Make your blood boil? Well, I should say!

Insane Crazy wrote:Not sure what your point is with the police overtime comment, though. Ensuring safe and peaceful protest is pretty high up there on the list of things on police job descriptions. They'll get paid for doing their job.

The additional expense for any protest should not be a taxpayers responsibility where city budgets are strained to the max. It's nice to see somebody stepping up and donating the necessary cash.

Insane Crazy wrote:Not sure what your point is with the police overtime comment, though. Ensuring safe and peaceful protest is pretty high up there on the list of things on police job descriptions. They'll get paid for doing their job.

The additional expense for any protest should not be a taxpayers responsibility where city budgets are strained to the max. It's nice to see somebody stepping up and donating the necessary cash.

I think it's nice if the protest movement can afford to pay the police force's overtime. However, requiring it would, I think, be a violation of the Constitution. Protest is a form of free speech. Requiring protesters to pay for the police would basically be a fee, which would preclude poor people from being able to protest, thus the violation of their free speech rights.

starrydreamer wrote:I think it's nice if the protest movement can afford to pay the police force's overtime. However, requiring it would, I think, be a violation of the Constitution. Protest is a form of free speech. Requiring protesters to pay for the police would basically be a fee, which would preclude poor people from being able to protest, thus the violation of their free speech rights.

There's only X amount of dollars in any city budget and that has to cover costs for libraries, potholes, security, parks&recreation, schools, police, fire, salaries, etc etc etc.I prefer my tax dollars NOT be spent controlling any organized protest movement. I'm not sure I can recall a protest movement with people in the streets producing a WINNING outcome for them? I say let the organizers provide their own private security/crowd control.

It's almost akin to pyromaniacs or careless campers and the city Fire Department, they've got enough on their hands without voluntary problems. Somebody has to pay, either those responsible or the taxpayer.

starrydreamer wrote:I think it's nice if the protest movement can afford to pay the police force's overtime. However, requiring it would, I think, be a violation of the Constitution. Protest is a form of free speech. Requiring protesters to pay for the police would basically be a fee, which would preclude poor people from being able to protest, thus the violation of their free speech rights.

There's only X amount of dollars in any city budget and that has to cover costs for libraries, potholes, security, parks&recreation, schools, police, fire, salaries, etc etc etc.I prefer my tax dollars NOT be spent controlling any organized protest movement. I'm not sure I can recall a protest movement with people in the streets producing a WINNING outcome for them? I say let the organizers provide their own private security/crowd control.

It's almost akin to pyromaniacs or careless campers and the city Fire Department, they've got enough on their hands without voluntary problems. Somebody has to pay, either those responsible or the taxpayer.

Protests aren't about winning. Putting my personal feelings about protests aside - you'll never find me at one, because I don't like crowds and I really don't like yelling - people have the right to have their voices heard. If they feel that their elected officials aren't listening to them - and they aren't - they have the right to make people hear them.

And you think that protests movements don't work? The peaceful protests during the civil rights movement were paramount in getting the Civil Rights Act passed in the 1960s. And protests helped women get the right to vote.

However - I will say that protests aren't enough. For a protest to be successful, there also needs to be behind-the-scenes stuff being done, like lobbying and organizing. Which, in the case of the teens protesting against gun violence, there is.

LONG BEACH — A Placentia man who rode a white horse on the 91 Freeway in Long Beach on his 29th birthday the morning of Saturday, Feb. 24, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, California Highway Patrol officials said.

According to a CHP news release, a 911 caller, around 1 a.m. reported a man riding a white horse eastbound on the 91 from Paramount Boulevard to Downey Avenue. CHP officers found the man after he exited at Downey Avenue and rode into Bellflower.